Discussion

Canelés - simple but not easy - Part V

Segue to warp-speed canelés here. Part V.The Borg Collective honors its Queen within the Hive Mind. She is the One who is Many. We breach the Unknown with canelé misadventures - without sanction by the "Canelés de Bordeaux" brotherhood. We toy with organic components and appellations beyond geographical restrictions. We search for Drones.

dear trewq-Q, my canelés were wax-laden most unpleasantly... I will next attempt to pour wax into the mold, swirl it, and pour out the excess, let it rest... then reheat the mold with a second-heat pour for a thinner coat of wax? or, reheat and brush out the excess with a silicone brush? or, perhaps my wax:oil ratio must be adjusted?

I agree with Souschef. I have a pastry brush that I only use for waxing (the molds not my legs) a quick brush and I'm done. I don't even heat my molds. Very easy to clean I rub soap into it and rinse with hot water or you can use a silicone brush like Souschef. What is your wax oil ratio? Mine is 1:1.5

Hi, Cynsa, I pour clear, molten wax into very warm molds (I use cotton work gloves), swirl, pour into the next mold, and so on, inverting each mold after coating. I know the molds are no longer warm enough when I can clearly see a waxy coating on the mold. When this happens, I pop the mold in a warm oven until the wax melts, then swirl and pour out again. The coating should be invisible (or nearly so) except for the droplet hanging from the dimple (I'd agree, a more elegant term than navel).

I do have a couple of silicone brushes, but I'm a really slow brusher, so prefer the pour and swirl method. My wax mixture, to which I just keep adding beeswax as it gets used up, is now mostly beeswax, and I'm not sure why one would need to add oil to the wax, unless it is because beeswax is considerably more expensive than oil. I think the higher beeswax content might keep the canelés crunchy a bit longer.

I tried burning off the debris in a hot oven but only succeeded in setting off the smoke alarm. After another overnight soaking, I followed the souschef tip and bought a box of the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser - works just like magic with a final swab of a Q-tip cotton swab. Now I have clean molds to be seasoned again. The cycle begins anew.

I tried the magic eraser. It didn't work for me. I baked a batch today and everything was stuck. I have no idea what happened. So now i have them sitting on the counter coated with baking soda paste. I hope that works. The paste is starting to turn brown.

These threads are fascinating. But I think I am going to stick with getting the really good caneles at La Tulipe in Mount Kisco, N.Y. I love to bake, but I don't have this kind of patience. Y'all are saints.

Trewq, I picked up the pound of beeswax yesterday. It's a cylinder 4 inches in diameter and 3 inches high; it should last me a LONG time. Since you mentioned it in the thread, is that what you use to wax your legs, or is that none of my beeswax?